Where Creatives and Culture Collide

A hometown hero in her own right, Erika E. Wade is making a name for herself through her playwright, The Rhythm/Da Blues. The 26-year-old Birmingham, Ala. struck gold after moving to Los Angeles, Calif. to pursue her dreams of becoming a powerhouse writer. Today, that dream is nothing less than unfolding right before her eyes. From Birmingham to LA, her playwright, The Rhythm/Da Blues, is now headed to New York City!

The Gnome Haus will present the world premiere of The Rhythm/Da Blues written & performed by E.E. Wade, from August 24-27 at the 13th Street Repertory Theater. Directed by Lindsy M. Bissonnette, the solo performance follows Lena, a black girl being raised by a family of storytellers in Birmingham, Alabama. When it was her turn to take the mic, she had plenty to say, but not enough courage to spit it. That’s when her auntie, Miss B. Darling, a transwoman and businessperson, steps in to teach Lena how to find the beat. Playing multiple characters, Wade brings her own brand of southern charm and ferocious wit to this celebration of family, first loves, and #BlackGirlMagic.

A graduate of The University of Alabama, you may have seen the young member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc, on the yard showcasing her bubbly and sophisticated talents. Besides, it wasn’t long after birth that the talented writer dived head first into her talents.

“My mother tells me she found my first short story, scribbled in a composition notebook when I was 4 years old. I must’ve hidden it, because I thought my future was limited to a career that could be tracked, predicted and settled into easily after 4-6 years of college.”

And, in so doing, her first major play was set in that of her hometown, Birmingham, Ala.

“Birmingham Alabama will always be a huge part of my life. I did not move from the South to escape it, but to bring back my experiences to enhance it. The Rhythm/Da Blues had to be set in Birmingham. I want us to be known for more than Civil Rights struggles, racism, and divide. We are that, but we are also a vibrant culture of characters that should be on stage and screen, too.”

Speaking of bringing her talents back to her hometown, her works have been published in Hanging Loose Magazine, Skirt, Birmingham Arts Journal, and won the Birmingham Public Library’s Word-Up poetry slam for two consecutive years. Most recently, she was honored as a 2016 finalist for The Kennedy Center’s MFA Playwrights Workshop.

I hope NYC is ready for a little southern charm, because E. E. Wade is definitely on the rise! We are sure that we will be seeing alot more of Erika E. Ward! Be sure to catch the play in NYC August the 24th-27th at the 13th Street Repertory/The Gnome Haus. Show kicks off at 8p.m.

E. E. Wade, you’re officially #Fluent ! Be sure to Erika and myself on social media.